The Beatles new Anthology 4 includes some very strange changes to the songs Real Love and Free As A Bird.
Matt Williamson, who delivers excellent music commentary on his Pop Goes The 60’s YouTube channel, has highlighted edits in the new versions of both Free As A Bird and Real Love that make no sense to Beatles fans.
Matt noticed that a George Harrison line in Free As A Bird is different from the 1996 original. The original Harrison vocal sings, “Whatever happened to the life that we once knew.” The new version has, “Whatever happened to the love that we once knew.”
For the 2025 remix, a different vocal take was chosen for George’s line. That alternate take included the alternate word. Changing the lyric makes little sense and, as Williamson points out, it also changes the meaning of the song.
Watch Matt Williamson’s Pop Goes The 60s review of Anthology 4
Even stranger is what has been done to Real Love. The original version runs 3 minutes and 54 seconds. The new edition runs 3 minutes and 35 seconds, nineteen seconds shorter. The reason is the altered George Harrison guitar solo. Why this was done is unknown.
The official reason for altering these parts has not been defined. Fan speculation points to creative decisions by Paul McCartney and the production team, including Giles Martin or Jeff Lynne, depending on the era.
Many fans have criticised the changes to Harrison’s work in Real Love, calling it unnecessary and disrespectful to George’s legacy.
There has also been frustration about the 2025 addition of Anthology 4. Unlike the Red and Blue reissues, which added tracks in chronological order, 4 is a standalone release. Anthology volumes 1 to 3 cover the Beatles career from start to finish. 4 covers the start to the end again, rather than continuing the original format.
The Red and Blue albums also received criticism for including Now and Then, which did not fit within the 1962 to 1966 and 1967 to 1970 timelines.
The standalone 4 CD packaging also differs from the original jewel case design of 1-3, breaking visual continuity for collectors.
Anthology 4 includes only 13 previously unreleased tracks. Fans who own the past super deluxe box sets already have half the material.
For many fans, Anthology 4 feels like filler. They had hoped for a Rubber Soul box set to follow Revolver, or more sought-after inclusions such as Revolution take 20, Helter Skelter take 3, the 14-minute unreleased Carnival of Light, or Get Back outtakes like Commonwealth, which appears in the documentary but not on any audio release.
A standalone Rooftop Concert from Abbey Road Studios has also never been released physically. It exists only on streaming services and as part of the Get Back documentary. Fans feel it would make a strong standalone release. The ‘Let It Be’ movie and ‘Beatles ’64’ have not been released as Blu-ray editions. ‘Let It Be’ was released on VHS and Laser Disc in the 80s but is not available on any current physical format.
The Beatles empire has long been criticised for operating like a cash-grab corporation, and Anthology 4 has not helped that perception.
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